Napa Valley Gondola — Attraction in Napa

Incredibly peaceful, beautiful, and lovely experience! Growing up in California, we last visited Napa a decade ago so I wanted to do something special for our trip this time. Our friends had an amazing time with Napa Valley Gondolas last year, so we grabbed some lattes at Le Paris and headed over in the morning.

Sean, the owner, greeted us and our small dog warmly at the dock. Our gondolier was Angelino (who just happens to be from Italy!) and we were absolutely spoiled by his amazing voice. Angelino sang not one or two... but seven! beautiful songs under the bridges and his voice echoed with the wind. The river is just beautiful at this time of year, the water was calm, and along the ride you can hear the birds chirping with the wind. Our service dog kept looking back at Angelino when he sang and loved watching the wildlife. The gondola is authentic, beautifully made from wood with intricate designs, and was brought by Sean from Italy. My mother, who visited Venice a decade ago, highlighted that this experience far exceeded the gondola ride she had in Italy.

Seeing Napa Valley from a different perspective is very memorable. Many people book the evening rides so you can see the sunset/lights along the Napa River and you can bring food and drinks on the boat. Sean checked in with us as we departed and we were touched by how accommodating everyone was. Definitely book Napa Valley Gondola early as the rides are popular. We would 100% do this again in Napa! This is definitely worth trying out at least once in...

Absolutely worth every penny. Haven (our gondolier) was great.. informative, pleasant and help guide toward some incredible ‘bonus’ experiences…

(In the river(?))… We first saw the Sea lion ahead of us, then behind us (+/- 100ft away)… Haven turned the gondola around and we tried to find it .. no luck …

We then started back down the river … ~ 5 mins later we saw it ahead of us ..

.. 50’ in front of the gondola we saw a sea lion(!!), first chasing a fish .. then 2 seconds later we saw the sea lion 30’ to the right with a large (20lb(!?)) salmon in its mouth!! … 2 more seconds later it was 20’ behind us .. what a great (and unbelievable) experience!

We took the sunset ride … in addition to the rush of the National Geographic moment, we saw tons of birds (also catching small fish), trees, people fishing from the bank …. the ride was quiet, informative …

HIGHLY...

We had an unforgettable experience with Napa Valley Gondola yesterday, and we can't recommend it enough! We were extremely late due to underestimating travel time, but they were so understanding and accommodating. Traveling with a 4-year-old and a 7-month-old in the summer heat is no easy task, and both kids were a bit fussy. However, our gondolier was incredibly patient and never lost his cool, even when our baby was crying. His singing was absolutely beautiful, and our 7-month-old surprisingly loved it too! He was also so knowledgeable about the history of Napa and the gondola, sharing fascinating insights throughout the ride. He’s not just a great gondolier, but a genuinely wonderful person who made our experience so special. We’ll...